Well here we are...38 weeks

Here we are at 38 weeks. I have to be honest and say I am SHOCKED we are still waiting for the Princess to arrive. She continues to get bigger (which makes Mommy bigger), and stronger (which hurts Mommy). Several times at the doc apt this week, we had a hard time getting a heartrate as the little stinker continues to flip her position. Her head is very low and engaged, but her butt and body still flip from side to side. This is especially fun when she decides to kick or roll around. It will be all worth it in the end though. The C-section is confirmed for July 8th at 12:30pm, unless she comes sooner. So, at least we know she will be here in at least 9 days! Speaking of heartrate, we had to do a "Non-Stress Test" yesterday since Caelin's heartbeat was in the 160's. The doc just wanted to be sure she was not in stress. The picture looks a lot worse than it was! We really just watched TV for 25 minutes while they monitored her heartrate, number of times she moved, and any contractions. It all turned out perfect. Caelin was just moving around a lot, so her heartrate was a little high, but normal for her amount of movement. Doesn't that sound like our little Princess?! Hahahaha! Anyhow, here are this weeks stats for Caelin. We go to the doc next Tuesday, July 5th for our last apt.

Ps- Can you believe the size of my belly? Stats from 38 week appointment:

BP- 96/62

Caelin's HR- 160's

Weight- 166.4

Dilation- 0

Effacement- 0%

Contractions- None

Cade's first Bowling Trip

So, today's adventure was a short game of bowling! Cade had never been bowling before, so it was fun to watch him figure things out. Daddy had to help him a lot, and there were a few times we could have cooked our own lunch while waiting for the ball to make it ALL THE WAY DOWN the lane, but hey...he did it! In fact, we loved the fact that Cade made the only strike of the day! I of course just took pictures and cheered everyone on, but it was still a blast!

Children's Museum

I know I am supposed to be "taking it easy", but I want to try and get out and spend as much time with Cade as we can now. A part of me feels like our time together is closing in, and I want him to know how loved he is! So, we decided to take Cade to the Houston Children's Museum yesterday. It was SO MUCH fun and even Gam-ee got to come along! We started the day by all going to the donut shop and then heading downtown. I did find times to just sit and relax, and I loved taking all the pictures of Cade and his new discoveries. Yesterday was also "Superhero Day", so if you dressed up like a Superhero, you got half off. Needless to say, Superman had a blast!

Caelin is 37 weeks

Well, another week has come and gone! We went to the doc this AM and got the following report. We just can't wait to hold our little girl! Even Cade is getting a little anxious...or maybe he is just nervous that I might actually explode soon! Worse case scenario, she will be here via C-section in 14 days! :)

- Weight: 164 lbs.
- Blood Pressure: 100/68
- Caelin's HR: 142
- Dilation: 0
- Effacement: 0%
- Other: We did an ultrasound today and the doc predicted that Caelin is currently about 7.5 lbs. The C-section is still scheduled for July 8th at 12:30pm. Doc is thinking that she will hang on for 2 more weeks until the C-section. We shall see. The doc just made a face when I asked how much she predicted the birth weight to be in another 2 weeks. Hmmmmm....

Here is what BabyCenter.com says about Caelin this week:
"Your baby is now considered full term even though your due date may be a few weeks away. If you go into labor now (yes, please) her lungs will be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. She weighs approximately 6.5lbs (Apparently not our baby girl!) and measures close to 19 inches in length from head to heel."

On a rainy day...

Today was one rainy day, which we are NOT complaining AT ALL about! It was nice to get some "cooler air" outside and a break from this Texas heat! We of course were in doors most of the day which led us to be creative with Cade! Lots of reading...HE LOVES BOOKS (got that from his Daddy!) and some belly painting. Yes, you heard correctly, belly painting. Each of the boys put their hand print/paw print on my belly and we painted Caelin! :) It was a lot of fun and Cade loved watching Charles' big hand print and even Baylor do it. Here are a few pics from the madness! And yes, my belly is really that big folks! Caelin needs to come soon as I am starting to see a stretch mark!!! NNNNOOOOO...

One day...two special events!

June 19th is a special day for Charles and I. This is the day we promised each other our lives in marriage. It has been 7 years since we said "I do" and I honestly love him more every day. He is the most loving and caring man any wife could ever pray for. I love you Charles, and thank you for making my dreams come true. As everyone knows, today is also Father's Day. One day, two special events! I have to say the most special Father in our lives is our Heavenly Father. To whom we get the best examples and actions to follow. As his children, we are definitely not even close to being perfect, but the example set before us is a mighty one! Happy Father's Day Jesus!

The next best Father in my life is Charles. I know it is cliche, but if you are lucky enough to know Charles, you know how patient and loving he truly is. He sets a Godly example for Cade to follow and is always there when Cade calls, "DADDY...where you?" Me personally, sometimes I want to hide, but Charles is always there. He does all the usual things to keep a household together, and so much more. Since I have been pregnant, he has stepped up and helped out more than expected with Cade. When Mommy needs to put her feet up, Charles steps in and off to the park or somewhere fun he takes Cade. I am sure sometimes he feels like a single Dad when I am in bed by 8pm and he is getting Cade to sleep. I just can't say enough about my husband. I am so proud to say he is mine and grateful to God he chose me! :) Happy Father's Day Charles!

We are also so lucky to have two amazing Father's of our own. My Dad, Rex, and Charles' Dad, Fred are both such loving Father's to us. I believe that is the reason Charles is such a good Dad today. He has had the perfect examples to follow. Both of our Dad's treat each of us like their own children. So, in essence we each have two Dad's! Just this week, Fred dropped everything he was doing (even while their were workers in his own home) to come to my rescue when the truck died and Charles was in Austin. He never hesitated and was there with me in less than 15 minutes. Since the time Charles and my Dad met, he has learned various things like putting tables together (we won't go there), advice on just about anything. When I was growing up, I remember my Dad giving up working in the garage to have tea parties (with cookies) with my sister and I, and we won't even mention the countless animals we "promised" to take care of that became his duty (fish, hamsters, the 2 day rabbit, etc.). Charles remembers being so excited to get up and spend time with his Dad throwing papers and attending Rice Football games. The memories go on forever, but the bottom line is that we are truly blessed and this day marks a special day for the men in our lives. Happy Father's Day to our Dad's!

Dad, Stacy and Sister Mendy at Stacy's 1 year Birthday Party

Dad and Charles at Christmas 1979 when Charles was 3 months old

Happy Birthday Gramp-ee!

Today is Gramp-ee's Birthday! We started off the morning singing Happy Birthday to Gramp-ee while eating waffles. Then, after some errands, Cade worked super hard on his BD cake and loved decorating it. Mommy had to help fix the icing on top and do the writing. However, the designs...all Cade. He insisted on a happy face "right tere Mommy!" and worms all over the cake. So, the squigglies are worms and we have a rather odd happy face (I have never been an artist). We celebrated the evening with Gramp-ee, Gam-ee, Christopher and Heather at our house with dinner, cake, and gifts. We enjoyed having all the family time. Although, we are still missing Daddy who has been on business in Austin for 2 days now. We can't wait for him to come home! Thank you Gramp-ee for all you do for us and all the love you show. We love you so much and hope your day was special! Happy Birthday!

36 weeks for Little Miss Caelin

Here we are at 36 weeks for Caelin. It won't be long now before she is here and our family is a family of 5 (Yes, I will always count Baylor!). I think we have done everything to prepare for her arrival, now we just wait. I went to the doc today and here are the stats...

- Weight: Lost one pound this week...which is good since I gained 4.5 last week!

- BP: 98/66

- Caelin's HR: 146

- Dilation: 0

- Effacement: 0%

- Other: slowly we are showing signs of labor such as tightening and Braxton Hicks, but the doc still thinks she will hold out till July 8th. We shall see! I guess our doc apt next Tuesday will be the best indicator when we see if I have dilated any. Until then, the Doc wants me to rest and try not to be on my feet as much. We will see how that goes with my little Angel Cade since he doesn't really prefer I sit down that much! But, I am glad that now I am off of work until October and able to spend more time with him and Caelin when she comes. Praise God for that!

Is this Nesting?

Not sure what you might call these last few days, other than to say we have been a busy little family. Here are some of the highlights of preparing for Caelin coming!

• Her room is ready! I finished sewing her quilt to an iron piece we already had and used that as one of the wall decorations. I also looped ribbon through an iron plate holder to create our unique version of a bow holder (this was Charles' idea!). Everything is now hung and ready to go!


• Car seats are installed and ready for her to be in them. We wanted to do this a little early to help prepare Cade for his sister in the back seats!


• Bassinet (Pack-n-play) is up in our bedroom. This was our way of preparing Baylor since his bed had to move, and Cade since she will be in our room for the first little bit. Cade and Baylor have both had to check everything out, play with the diapers and materials, and even use some of her powder.


• I also spent yesterday morning cooking lots of meals to freeze for when Caelin is here! I cooked several stuffed pasta shells and chicken pot pie.


• We went to store and stocked up on all the goodies my family will need while they are in town and staying with us.


• Updated our call lists for the hospital.


• Gam-ee took pregnancy photos of us as a family. I will post some now, but I still need to edit them, so more will come later!


• Finally, we packed our bags...now I guess all we need is for her to get here!

35 weeks prego (according to Doc)

Well, here we are! We made it to week 35 according to the Doc. C-section is officially scheduled for less than a month away! Can't believe time has flown by so fast! She is still quite the little mover and packs a solid punch. She moves all day and night and kicks way more than Cade ever did. Cade was more of a "stretcher"...Caelin, a flipper and kicker! We are putting the last finishing touches on her room and packing the hospital bags this week. We are putting up her bassinet in our room so Baylor and Cade can get used to it. We are also doing a LOT of talking to Cade about "his baby Caelin" coming soon. He loves to read the book "A Baby is on the Way" and we talk about things like how to touch a baby, and what a baby eats. I know he will be such an amazing and loving big brother. I am now on weekly doctor visits, so here are the stats from this week.

• Weight: gained 4.6 lbs this WEEK...oops, I guess I will put down my brownie now.


• Blood Pressure: 104/68


• Caelin's HR: 144


• Uterus measurement: 34 inches


• Sonogram showed she is head down and faced toward my spine. So, we didn't get to see her beautiful face, but we will see it soon anyway! Currently she is measuring about 6lbs, and Doc predicted she will be about 7.5lbs when born.

Here is what BabyCenter.com says about week 35: "Your baby is running out of room to move as she is measuring about 18 inches and 5.25 lbs. Because it is getting snugger in the womb, it isn't likely that she is still doing somersaults anymore, but she may still be kicking regularly. Her kidneys are now fully developed and her liver can now process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete and the next few weeks will be spent putting on weight."

Nina comes to town!

This past weekend, my sis came into town to spend some Sister time and help with Caelin's soon arrival. We had such a blast! On Saturday, we went to eat Coffee and crepes for breakfast as soon as she got here! Cade LOVES his Aunt Mendy, "mmeeeenn-deee", and followed her everywhere. It was nice for Charles and I to sit back and watch them. After Breakfast, we all went to buy treats for Baylor's BD. We totally splurged and got Salted Caramel and Smore's cupcakes! They were SO YUMMY. Next, our adventures took us shopping as Nana/Papa had called and said they wanted us to spend some money on ourselves from them! That is never a problem, so we went to several clothing stores, Starbucks (of course), and Ulta. Ulta was the jackpot as we found a fun clearance section with all kinds of pampering products. WHOO HOO! Of course the fun couldn't stop there as we then went to the Pedicure place and got mani/pedi's with Gam-ee. We rounded out the evening with Baylor's BD party, dinner at home, and some couch lounging with TV. What a perfect, relaxing day. THANKS to Nana/Papa for the amazing donation and Charles for watching Cade so we could have a "Sis Day out"!

Sunday was even more fun as we spent the morning relaxing, taking Cade and Caelin to the Donut shop (hehehe), and working on Caelin's room. We decided on some very unique decorating ideas (I will post when they are completed)...for now it remains a surprise!

Thanks Sis for coming and spending the night with us. It meant so much to me, and I will never forget all our fun! I love you!